Lobster meetings postponed for Hancock, Lincoln, Washington counties

ELLSWORTH, Maine — Lobster industry meetings that had been scheduled for this week in Hancock, Lincoln and Washington counties have been postponed, according to state officials.

A meeting scheduled for Jan. 2 in Boothbay Harbor, two scheduled for Jan. 3 in Jonesport and Machias, and another that had been set for Jan. 4 in Gouldsboro all have been postponed “due to unforeseen illness of DMR staff,” Maine Department of Marine Resources officials indicated Wednesday in a press release.

The meeting in Boothbay Harbor has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. Jan. 22 at the local DMR offices on McKown Point Road. The meetings in Gouldsboro, Jonesport and Machias have yet to be rescheduled.

Meetings next week in Knox and Hancock counties are still expected to be held as originally scheduled. A full listing of all 17 meetings, including those in Cumberland, Sagadahoc and York counties, can be found online at the DMR website, www.maine.gov/dmr. All of the meetings are expected to be held this month.

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The meetings have been scheduled as a follow-up to an evaluation by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute on the state’s limited entry licensing system. GMRI released a report in November on the results of its study, which was ordered by the Legislature.

The purpose of the meetings is to solicit feedback from fishermen about a possible tiered licensing system for the fishery, possible measures for reducing waiting periods to get into the fishery and development of a fishery management plan that establishes “clear goals” for the fishery, according to DMR officials.

For information on the meetings, contact Sarah Cotnoir of DMR at 624-6596.